Forgive the River, Forgive the Sky

Eerdmans Young Readers, 2003 - Juvenile Fiction - 85 pages

Twelve-year-old Lily Star loves the Sandy River, which flows through the small northern town that she's lived in all her life. "But as much as I love it," she says, "I can't forgive it." She holds the grudge because her father died while fishing on the river -- and her whole life changed after that. She and her mother had to leave the cabin in the woods on the river, the home Lily grew up in, and move into an apartment in town. What makes city living even worse for Lily is that a mysterious stranger moved into her home on the river and is building a fence that keeps her away from the land she knows and loves. Independent and strong-willed, Lily confronts the stranger about the fence and gradually gets to know him. As they become friends, she learns that he is struggling with loss and forgiveness just as she is. By turns poignant and funny, this beautifully told story introduces readers to a young girl with a tender heart who learns that loss is an inevitable part of love.